A mindset is simply the set of beliefs that shape how you see and react to the world. These beliefs influence what you do, how you act, and how you feel. Having a team mindset means directing those actions and emotions to improve the team's success.
Watching other teams for a while allows you to observe the confident actions that a handler makes and how the dog is in sync with their person. It can be magical to witness this well-coordinated teamwork. Similarly, you also see the stumbles and out-of-step choices when we let our emotions overwhelm our decisions. We all have these experiences, but observing, we sometimes let out a sigh of judgment, ideally with graciousness towards the team.
For Part 1, the video exploration session, we will focus on containers. Observing thousands of container searches has not provided the magic for understanding; pass rates can be fickle or downright ugly; the odor responds to the environment and often defies clear understanding. We say things like the dog’s nose was on every box—how can they not find it? We have all been to “that” trial where three teams will fly through without any second-guessing, and then no team passes the rest of the search. You can do everything correctly, make objectively no errors in handling or decisions, and nothing be wrong at leash ends, yet still not succeed in finding everything there is to find. All kinds of thoughts, frustrations, and stories are created.
Additional Description
As an official, whether I'm setting hides or judging, I try to observe without criticism because we've all made similar choices. This video review is meant to help us sort out our decisions and encourage everyone to focus on their strengths. On event day, the skills you can count on make up most of your performance under pressure. The main goal isn't to avoid every mistake. Can you accept the unknown or a stumble, and still be kind to yourself and your partner while focusing on what you both do best? Remember, you can't control the outcome, but you can focus on the process and keep a team mindset.
You can succeed in the process every time if you keep a team mindset. Give yourself some grace and focus on the skills you know you can rely on.
Assessing a team's ability to perform reliably and consistently across various search environments. The goal is to establish a high level of consistency, based on primary skills as the foundation for decision-making, that is not affected by time or external stress. In hindsight, the execution of a primary skill can be observed by the handler and others to be high-confidence. Evaluate the reliability of secondary skills, which are less important but can be useful in specific pre-understood search scenarios. A secondary skill can be less reliable or a catch-all of unforeseen search environments that can only be recognized in the moment of searching.
These aren't robotic skills; actions are carried out with flair, joy, and adaptability. But when you watch later, or others describe your search as amazing or magical, and the judge makes a pronouncement, it's easy to see why.
This is Part 1 of a webinar series. Stay tuned for information about the subsequent installments.
